How do I establish a real-time connection between a Laravel backend and React Native Expo frontend?

GinaUK
November 29, 2024
48 views
0 votes
2 Answers

I’m working a Laravel and React Native project where real-time communication is crucial. In scenario where a user updates their profile other users should get the update in real time. And a chatting functionality to be integrated as well.

Currently, I’m using Laravel & Reverb on the backend. I installed socket.io-client on the RN Expo app but the connection is never established.

Don’t know why that is though. I need help on how to integrate this correctly.

Answers

I ran into this exact same issue a few months ago. The problem is that you’re trying to use socket.io-client with Laravel Reverb, which won’t work out of the box since they use different protocols.

Here’s how I got it working:

Instead of socket.io-client, you’ll want to use laravel-echo with pusher-js. First, install these packages:

npm install laravel-echo pusher-js

Then set up your Echo configuration in your RN app like this:

import Echo from 'laravel-echo';
import Pusher from 'pusher-js/react-native';

const echo = new Echo({
    broadcaster: 'pusher',
    client: new Pusher('your-key', {
        wsHost: 'your-host',
        wsPort: 8080,
        forceTLS: false,
        enabledTransports: ['ws', 'wss'],
        disableStats: true,
    }),
});

For the profile updates, create an event in Laravel:

class ProfileUpdated implements ShouldBroadcast
{
    public $user;

    public function __construct($user)
    {
        $this->user = $user;
    }

    public function broadcastOn()
    {
        return new Channel('profiles');
    }
}

Then listen for it in your React Native component:

useEffect(() => {
    echo.channel('profiles')
        .listen('ProfileUpdated', (e) => {
            console.log('Profile updated:', e);
            // Update your UI here
        });

    return () => {
        echo.leave('profiles');
    };
}, []);

For the chat functionality, it’s pretty similar. Just make sure you’re using private channels if the chat needs to be secure:

// Laravel Event
class MessageSent implements ShouldBroadcast
{
    public $message;

    public function broadcastOn()
    {
        return new PrivateChannel('chat.' . $this->message->room_id);
    }
}

// React Native
echo.private(`chat.${roomId}`)
    .listen('MessageSent', (e) => {
        // Handle new message
    });

Quick debugging tips:

Make sure Reverb is running (php artisan reverb:start)
Check your WebSocket URLs match
Verify your broadcasting config in Laravel
Look at the Network tab in dev tools to see if the WebSocket connection is being established

First, let’s do a complete setup check:

Laravel Backend Setup

// config/broadcasting.php
'reverb' => [
    'driver' => 'reverb',
    'host' => env('REVERB_HOST', 'localhost'),
    'port' => env('REVERB_PORT', 8080),
    'scheme' => env('REVERB_SCHEME', 'http'),
    'app_id' => env('REVERB_APP_ID'),
    'key' => env('REVERB_APP_KEY'),
],

// .env
BROADCAST_DRIVER=reverb
REVERB_APP_ID=your_app_id
REVERB_APP_KEY=your_app_key

React Native Setup

// echo-config.js
import Echo from 'laravel-echo';
import Pusher from 'pusher-js/react-native';

const echo = new Echo({
    broadcaster: 'pusher',
    key: process.env.REVERB_APP_KEY,
    wsHost: process.env.REVERB_HOST,
    wsPort: 8080,
    forceTLS: false,
    encrypted: false,
    enabledTransports: ['ws', 'wss'],
    disableStats: true,
});

export default echo;

Connection Test Component

import React, { useEffect } from 'react';
import echo from './echo-config';

const ConnectionTest = () => {
    useEffect(() => {
        // Debug connection
        echo.connector.pusher.connection.bind('connecting', () => {
            console.log('Connecting...');
        });
        
        echo.connector.pusher.connection.bind('connected', () => {
            console.log('Connected!');
        });
        
        echo.connector.pusher.connection.bind('error', (err) => {
            console.error('Connection error:', err);
        });

        return () => {
            echo.disconnect();
        };
    }, []);

    return null;
};

Common issues and solutions:

CORS Issues

// config/cors.php
return [
    'paths' => ['*'],
    'allowed_methods' => ['*'],
    'allowed_origins' => ['*'], // In production, specify your actual domain
    'allowed_origins_patterns' => [],
    'allowed_headers' => ['*'],
    'exposed_headers' => [],
    'max_age' => 0,
    'supports_credentials' => true,
];

Network Configuration

Ensure your Laravel backend is accessible from your React Native app
Check if the WebSocket port (8080) is open and accessible
Verify your IP addresses/domains match exactly

Debug Commands

# Check if Reverb is running
php artisan reverb:start

# Test event broadcasting
php artisan event:generate

Share any error message after trying this.

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